Polls

October 17, 2018

Question #1

Every 10 years, Hawaii’s voters have the opportunity to call for a state constitutional convention. A constitutional convention would give Hawaii’s voters a chance to amend the state constitution without going through the legislature. The last time voters chose to hold a constitutional convention was in 1978. Whether or not to hold new constitutional convention will be on the ballot again in 2018. If it passes in 2018, voters will elect convention delegates, and the delegates will meet, and may recommend changes to the state constitution. Any changes the convention recommends would then go to Hawaii’s voters to either ratify or reject. Based on the information you have heard, would you support or oppose holding a constitutional convention in Hawaii, do you not know enough yet to have an opinion, or does it not matter to you much either way?

Question #2

Every 10 years, Hawaii’s voters have the opportunity to call for a state constitutional convention. Hawaii’s upcoming ballot in November will include the question: “shall there be a convention to propose a revision of, or amendments to, the Constitution?” Would you vote “yes” or “no” to holding a constitutional convention in Hawaii, or would you probably not vote either way on this ballot question?

October 17, 2018

Another proposal would be to have term limits for members of the state legislature in Hawaii. Currently, county officials, as well as Hawaii’s governor and lieutenant governor have term limits, but state legislators do not. What do you think — would you support or oppose term limits for members of the Hawaii state legislature, or does it not matter to you much either way?

Support 70%
Oppose 14%
Doesn’t matter 8%
Not sure 8%
Total 100%

Another issue is a system of citizen initiatives, referendums, and recalls. These allow residents to make changes to laws and government through direct vote, rather than having to go through the legislature. Currently, about half the states in the U.S. have citizens’ initiatives, referendums, or recalls that allow their residents to make direct changes. What do you think – should Hawaii enact a system of citizen’s initiatives, referendums, and recalls or not, or does it not matter to you much either way?

Question:Should Hawaii hold a constitutional convention
to make changes to the state Constitution?

Note: Was it good journalistic ethics that this question was placed in the Star-Advertiser on the same day the Star-Advertiser ran an op-ed highly hostile to calling a convention and three ads in its A-section echoing both the message and tone of the op-ed? This is the second Sunday edition during the last two weeks that the Star-Advertiser has run op-eds starkly hostile to calling a convention. Meanwhile, it has been months since it ran a non-staff oped either neutral or favorable to a convention, despite receiving at least two during the interim. This strongly telegraphs that its editorial page already plans to come out against a convention.

September 11, 2018

Question:Do you agree with Friday’s ruling that keeps the “school tax” constitutional amendment question on the November ballot?